Malaysian man recording Facebook Live video has phone snatched; Thief’s face clearly seen

By Theoh Pei Ying

A pair of motorcycle-riding snatch thieves grabbed a smartphone from a pedestrian as he was recording a Facebook Live video – and unwittingly exposed their faces to stunned viewers.

The victim, who was on his way to Aidiladha prayers, had decided to capture the festive atmosphere in his neighbourhood on Facebook Live as he walked to the mosque.

As he panned left and right, the two snatch thieves, coming from the opposite direction, grabbed his phone, and after a brief struggle, fled.

The Facebook Live video, however, continued to stream, and as the two thieves made their getaway, one of their faces could clearly be seen.

The 78-second video has gone viral on Facebook, garnering more than 292,000 views since it was uploaded. Most netizens commenting on the clip have urged police to take immediate action.

Facebook user Romuald Nonis said: “Since the face is clearly seen, now is the time to go hunting for these men, I guess.”

Staloong Lim said: “Lucky that the incident was recorded, PDRM (Royal Malaysia Police) go go go, arrest them!”

Others said the incident should serve as a lesson to Malaysians not to use their mobile phones while walking on the street.

Alastair Michael Lee said: “Lesson learned. Be careful of your surroundings and be aware. People always focus on their handphone nowadays!”

Niezam Mohamad said: “Why go on (Facebook) live in the middle of the road, take it as a lesson!”

Meanwhile, Wangsa Maju police chief Superintendent Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif said police have yet to receive a report on the incident.

“We will trace the man based on the video and will check if he is involved in other cases,” he said when contacted.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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